The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons:The History of the Human Brain As Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery

Sam Kean

Strokes, seizures, and brain injury can traumatize the brain so badly that an individual’s personality may be forever changed. An injury to one section of the brain can leave someone unable to recognize loved ones, while some brain trauma can even make a person become a pathological liar.
But, early neuroscientists also saw such injuries as unique opportunities to study the brain’s wondrous workings. The author of The Violinist’s Thumb (2012) returns with fascinating tales of the brain and stories of common people whose misfortunes made the history of neuroscience possible.